Pololu 3.3V Boost Regulator NCP1402

Pololu 3.3V Boost Regulator NCP1402

This extremely compact boost regulator generates 3.3V from voltages as low as 0.8 V and delivers up to 200 mA, making it perfect for powering small 3.3V electronics projects from 1 to 3 NiMH, NiCd, or alkaline cells or from a single lithium-ion cell.

Theis tiny boost (step-up) switching regulator is based on the NCP1402 boost regulator IC. The small dimensions of just 0.33″ × 0.5″ (8.4 mm × 12.7 mm) and a startup voltage of down to 0.8 V make it easy to build 3.3 V circuits that are powered by lower battery voltages. The available output current and output voltage ripple depend on the input voltage (see Typical Efficiency and Output Current section below), but the regulator can provide up to 200 mA if the input voltage is high enough.

With low input voltages, the output voltage ripple is under 40 mV peak-to-peak. When the input voltage is close to the output, the output ripple quickly climbs to 150 mV peak-to-peak. Therefore, adding capacitance from the output to ground is recommended for noise-sensitive applications with input voltages close to the output voltage.

Some example applications include:

• Powering 3.3V systems from lower-voltage batteries.
• Powering 3.3V subsystems (e.g. sensors) in lower-voltage (e.g. 3.3 V) systems.

Using the Boost Regulator

The boost regulator has just three connections: the input voltage, ground, and the output voltage. These three connections are labeled on the back side of the PCB, and they are arranged with a 0.1" spacing along the edge of the board for compatibility with standard solderless breadboards and perfboards and connectors that use a 0.1" grid. You can solder wires directly to the board or solder in either the 3×1 straight male header strip or the 3×1 right-angle male header strip that is included.

Feature summary

• operating voltage: 0.8 V to 3.3V
• 3.3V output with 2.5% accuracy
• small size: 8.4 x 12.7 x 3.8 mm (0.33" x 0.50" x 0.15")
• weight without header pins: 0.6 g (0.02 oz)